Kaboom! (video game)
| Kaboom! | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Activision |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Designer(s) | Larry Kaplan |
| Platform(s) | Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit family |
| Release date(s) | Atari 2600
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| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Two players |
| Distribution | Cartridge |
Kaboom! is an Activision published in 1981 for Atari 2600 that was designed by Larry Kaplan. It was well-received and successful commercially, selling over one million cartridges by 1983.
Kaboom! is an unauthorized adaptation of the 1978 Atari coin-op Avalanche.[1] The gameplay of both games is fundamentally the same, but Kaboom! was re-themed to be about a mad bomber instead of falling rocks. As an ex-Atari programmer, Larry Kaplan, originally wanted to port Avalanche to the Atari 2600. In Avalanche all the boulders are lined up at the top which is difficult to accomplish on the 2600, hence the shift to the Mad Bomber. David Crane coded the overlaid sprites for the Mad Bomber.[2]
Gameplay
Gameplay in Kaboom! consists of using a paddle controller to catch bombs dropped by the "Mad Bomber" with a set of three buckets. Points are scored for every bomb caught, extra buckets (maximum of three) are awarded at every 1,000 points, and one bucket is lost every time a bomb is missed. As the game progresses, the "Mad Bomber" traverses the top of the screen much more erratically, dropping bombs at increasingly higher speeds, making each of the seven higher levels more difficult.
When Kaboom! was originally sold, anyone who scored above 3,000 points could send Activision a picture of his or her television screen to receive membership in the Activision Bucket Brigade and a Bucket Brigade patch.
While the "Mad Bomber" is dropping bombs, he has an unhappy face. If the player misses and a bomb is dropped, he smiles while the bombs on the screen explode. The game manual mentions that something "special" will happen after 10,000 points. When the player reaches that score threshold, the "Mad Bomber"'s face appears surprised/upset, even if the player drops a bomb.
The highest score possible is 999,999, which can be accomplished in 2 hours 46 minutes with perfect continuous play. The game ends with bombs frozen in mid air and the buckets disappearing.
Reception
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Kaboom! is considered to be a "classic" Atari 2600 game. Allgame editor Scott Alan Marriott described Kaboom! as "...one of those games that you'll put away for a while, pick up every now and then, and play for hours at a time".[3] The Video Game Critic described Kaboom! as "Arguably the most fun Atari 2600 game ever".[4]
Ports
Kaboom! was later released for the Atari 5200 and the Atari 8-bit family of computers.
A 16-bit remake for the Super Nintendo was in the works at some point, but the game was never released.[5][6]
In the late 1990s, a keychain version of the game was created by Tiger Electronics.[7]
Kaboom! was one of the titles included on the Activision Anthology compilation.
In June 2010, Kaboom! was made available on Microsoft's Game Room service for its Xbox 360 console and for Windows-based PCs.
In 1984, a Commodore 64 port of the game was released with the title Kablam.
References
- ↑ http://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview_larry_kaplan.html
- ↑ Yarusso, Albert. "Kaboom!". Atari Age. Archived from the original on 2 February 2006. Retrieved 2006-01-25.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Marriott, Scott Alan. "Kaboom! - Review". Allgame. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The Video Game Critic's Atari 2600 Reviews". videogamecritic.net. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ↑ SNES.page
- ↑ Kaboom: the Mad Bomber returns
- ↑ Tiger Keychains
External links
- Kaboom! at AtariAge
- Kaboom! at MobyGames
- Crazy Bomber a Flash version of Kaboom!
- iKaboom! A similar game for the iPhone (Opens iTunes)
- Kaboom! at the Internet Movie Database
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